Setting Sun
by kamilolita
Summary: - "Look at me Roxas." she softly demanded, "Who do you see?" But Roxas couldn't answer. Who did he see? What could he say? And with that the world around them shook. Roxas/Xion. The story of a memory lost and the path laid out before him.
1. Who Do You See?

**WARNING!** This story contains MAJOR spoilers...but feel free to read it anyway. :"D And with that said...

I can't freaking wait for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days to come out in the US! I must admit, the ending scene is the saddest thing I've seen in a while. Like it made me cry man. ;-;" So naturally, I have to write a story about it. So here it goes!

Oh and...

here's the Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts...QQs.

* * *

Twilight Town's Clock Tower.

This place always gave a magnificent view of the brilliant orange sunset. But he wasn't gazing at the natural beauty - oh no. On the contrary - he was more so curled into a fetal position, sitting on the edge - his head tucked into his arms, blocking out any stray rays of sun that could shine through. He wasn't in the mood for light, he just wanted the sun to set already.

"Heh heh." Roxas lifted his head ever so slightly, laughing weakly.

"Where should I go now?" He asked himself awkwardly. Where could he go? The life he knew, the friends he had, the happiness they shared when they were together were now all gone, just like that. And what could he do? Nothing. All those thoughts racked his mind and he oh so desperately longed for the good old days. Roxas wanted Axel to be there and tease him again so he could get mad and tell him off, just to see the shocked look on his face when he did. He wanted Xion, the girl he cared for the most, to be there so he could comfort her - to tell her it was all right. All along he had wanted to tell her something - but it was something he just couldn't put his finger on. He had searched through his mind, through all his being; what was this feeling? He furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. If he wasn't _able_ and wasn't _supposed_ to feel any emotion, then why was this bothering him so much?

Roxas went to lower his head back into his solitude. "I don't even know..."

For a while, he sat there unbeknownst that he, whether he wanted to be or not, was not alone. But soon, Roxas could faintly hear them - footsteps. He stared into his lap, well aware of the presence. The footsteps were getting closer and closer, until they seemed to hover right over him. However, he didn't bother [or was it that he didn't dare?] to look up at whoever had come up there to keep him company. Roxas kept staring into nothingness, just waiting for whoever it was to leave. Unfortunately for him, they didn't - and instead he could hear them taking a seat right next to him. Guess he couldn't ignore it any longer.

Roxas lifted his head up and nearly fell over in split second shock.

"Xion!" he exclaimed. He was sure it was her, even though her body and face were shrouded in the usual Organization XII attire. Roxas stared at the person before him with much anticipation for an answer, but the only reply he got was a stick of sea-salt ice cream. He looked it over for moment before accepting it.

Good enough.

"Thank you." he said with a smile. Roxas gazed at the setting sun, taking a bite of the cool, refreshing treat. He knew it was Xion now - at least he wouldn't be so lonely. Maybe - _possibly_ things wouldn't be so bad after all?

"I soon...have to decide." Xion said not so much breaking the silence with her calm, gentle voice, which Roxas avidly turned his attention to. Xion stood and reached for her hood, pulling it down slowly.

Roxas's eyes widened and his jaw literally dropped. At this point he didn't know whether to gasp or not, but instead he kept silent, aching for some sort of explanation.

"You have poured so many memories into me...given me so much..." Xion raised her arms to the sky. "That I feel like I'm going to overflow."

"Look at me Roxas." she softly demanded, "Who do you see?"

Roxas couldn't answer. Who _did_ he see? What could he say?

"My face. My being. I have become that of a boy." There was a pause. "And soon I will become like a doll. This, Roxas,..." She turned her gazed to him. "...is Sora."

It was true. Her appearance was like of a boy's. Spikey hair, blue eyes, but her same voice. Roxas didn't know exactly what to make of this. Was this a nightmare? All he wanted to do was shut his eyes, shake, scream, do anything - but his body, his body was so...numb.

What the _hell_ was happening?

Roxas let out a gasp as Xion rose from the edge and began to walk out on thin air. At first he wanted to run out and catch her like he tried before, but this attempt [just like the last] would prove to be very futile. Instead he just stood there, waiting in pure apprehension as Xion came to a stop. Physically uneased and mentally unprepared he watched as Xion drew dark energy at the simple raise of her hand. He could feel it around him, as if the air was being sucked right out of his lungs.

"This was the reason I was born."

If it hadn't occurred to Roxas earlier that things were definitely not okay, it must have hit him like a brick now. This inclination was not helped by her insane and rather frightening declaration.

With the clench of her fist she confirmed his wildest fear.

"To become complete, Roxas - I must take your body too!"

And with that the world around them shook.

* * *

Noooope! Not done yet. ;D Please **R&R**~! Chapter two coming up soon! ;o


	2. Sayonara

**WARNING!** This story contains MAJOR spoilers...but feel free to read it anyway. :"D

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts...QQs.

* * *

He could feel it. The violent quake of the dark energy trailed up the sides of his body with so much force he felt like he wanted to puke. But what good would that do? Rather than cower from the intensity, Roxas held up his guard and shut his eyes tight - readying himself for whatever blow he would have to brunt. But despite the jolt of power that rocked him before, there was nothing else.

Everything just stopped.

He opened his eyes, blinking slowly but couldn't see a thing. What once was a beautiful, serene, and bright sunset was engulfed in pure darkness. Every inch that was once Twilight Town was now absolutely nothing. Roxas strained to see, searching for some sort of way out. That was, until, something caught his eye.

"Xion!" he cried, but he couldn't even hear his own voice in the dangerous silence.

Frantically he ran toward the figure. He was so close, so much that he seemed to run right through her...

Wait. He did - and all at once the darkness dissipated.

At first he didn't know where he was until he looked down, at which he soon realized he was standing in mid-air. Suddenly, he looked back to see where Xion went and could barely take in what his eyes saw. There it stood, some sort of armored gargantuan, wielding dual swords tight in its' hand. But wait a second, was this thing Xion? Much to his dismay, there was no time for thought as a huge blade was harshly brought down upon him.

"SHIT!" he yelped as he barely jumped out of the way. Now he _had_ to do something - either that or die. Summoning his Keyblade, Roxas dodged another deadly slash that 'Xion' had thrown at him. He zealously retaliated with a fierce blow of his own making the monster cry out in pain. Roxas hacked away at the entity, putting more force in each successive blow after blow. He loathed hearing the sound of the cries, the roars of pain from 'Xion'. He could only imagine what she was truly going through. And so he decided - end this as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, the being was sickened with _revenge_.

With a flick of it's wrists, the monster beckoned vortex along with raging beams of energy aimed directly for Roxas. He tried desperately to move out of the way, but he was violently caught up in the gust. The radiations hit him so precisely it hurt and he felt like he was going to faint. First his back, then his shoulder, his arm, his leg, his head. Roxas couldn't take much more of this abuse. Breaking away from the squall, he jumped up and brought down a barrage of bashes onto the horror.

"One...more!" he huffed to himself, and this did it. The monstrosity stopped fighting and shook it's arms and head combatively, but to no avail. Abruptly it stopped and without warning fell lifelessly to the ground as it drowned in it's own pool of darkness.

Wearily, he watched as the fiend melted away into oblivion. However, there was no time to celebrate [not that he cared to] as a twinge of pain afflicted his mind. He blinked his eyes rapidly as held his head, hoping that it would subside, but it was no use.

"Unnngh!" Roxas growled as he fell to his knees in utter agony. And as if things could not get any worse...

Crack...CRACK! The invisible floor beneath him gave way, sending him from stories high to the ground below.

Roxas landed hard on his side. Aching, he got up only to be distressed by the sight of Xion falling helplessly to her knees.

"You." Limping, while still holding his head, Roxas walked forth and asked the first question on his mind. "Who...who are you?" He went on. "I had to...tell you something, but I can't remember what it is."

Xion just stared at the ground, not making any eye contact with Roxas whatsoever. Sheepishly, in a broken voice, she replied. "Roxas. That's...alright...Roxas."

Unanticipatedly, Xion just dropped.

Roxas caught her swiftly, her head falling feebly into his arms. Alarmed at her doomed status, Roxas looked her over carefully. She was...fading? Was she injured? "Did I hurt you?", he asked in fear. Hurting her was never his intention, he was just trying to free her of that vile possesion. But what if he had brought her down with the insanity that formally consumed her? He would never forgive himself.

"No." Xion said reassuringly, putting to rest any seeds of guilt or doubt that grew in his mind. "I...I've decided to disappear at my own will."

Roxas cried inwardly at her profession. He was going to lose her. WHY? Why now? But Roxas kept a straight face, just for Xion. Everything was going to be okay...right?

"I couldn't let Xemnas get his way. I just couldn't." she admitted. "And now, I'm going...back to Sora." Shards of fading light flew lightly in the air. "I must go back - only I can."

"But..." Xion moved her hand to his, which was gripping her shoulder covetously, as if he could keep her from floating away. "There is one thing I have to ask you." Roxas nodded, cradling the subdued Xion while waiting for her request. "The hearts...in Kingdom Hearts. Set them free."

"Kingdom Hearts. Set them free...", he repeated to himself out loud. But his reasoning was cut short when Xion's legs were enveloped in crystal light. He reached out to try and stop it, but retracted his hand. What he could do?

"Please, set them free...since I can't." It was becoming more and more evident that it was getting harder for Xion just to speak, so much now that she was speaking in broken sentences. But she had to help make Roxas remember - it was the last thing she could do. "Set it free. Don't let...get his way." Heartbroken and shattered, Roxas watched as the fading Xion struggled, but the words she spoke next snapped Roxas into a full emotional breakdown.

"Goodbye, Roxas." Roxas wanted to shout. "Let's meet again, okay?" He wanted to curse all things that hurt Xion - everything. "I'm glad I could meet you and Axel." But he couldn't, he was to dazed and confused to grasp the reality before him. "You are my best friends." This couldn't be happening. It couldn't! She couldn't be leaving them - him. Why. Why? Again, he couldn't answer that.

Xion raised her shaking hand to Roxas' cheek, smoothing her thumb over his flushed skin. He tried eagerly to feel the warmth of her hand through the cold, black glove. He couldn't. "It's that simple. Please...don't forget it."

Those were her dying words.

Roxas' eyes widened in stark realization as Xion's hand fell limply off of his face - though he dared not let it hit the ground. He caught her hand, entwining his fingers to hers - he'd be damned if he let her leave like this.

"NO!" He yelled in complete hysteria. "No...no...let's go Xion. Let's go eat ice cream... just the three of us. Together, just like before..." His voice trailed off when there was no reply from Xion, aware that she was now gone. Just like that, her body was overwhelmed in a mass of crystal light and...she was gone. All that was left of Xion's existence was a small, pink and yellow seashell. Disoriented, Roxas picked it up. He could see her - the flash of her face went through his mind like a lightning bolt and escaped his memory.

"...Xion..." he whispered. Tears welled up in his eyes and fell down his face - but he didn't care anymore. He didn't care if it made him seem weak or scared, he just wanted to cry. And so he kneeled there, not moving from the spot where he once held his beloved, and wept. His eyes strayed up to the ever-setting sun, diamond tears falling on the ground. Now he had just one simple wish: "Please sun...don't fade." It was the only thing that would stay with him now.

* * *

"Why?" Axel laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling in the Castle That Never Was. He didn't feel like leaving his room, too many things were tearing at his mind. This was not helped by the sudden, and slightly scary by his standards, feeling of dread that washed over him. Woefully, Axel sat up - something unseen was tugging at him. He felt his senses moving toward the windowsill by his bedside. As if it were calling him, his hand motioned to an lone envelope that was sitting on the window.

'How'd that get there?', was his sole thought, as he looked it over and over and over, before he decided to open it. In surprise, Axel pulled out what appeared to be a popsicle stick - similar to that of the sea salt ice cream ones. In fact, it was. A bit of text caught his eyes, it was the word: _'Winner!'_

Axel just blinked and stared up at constantly shining heart-shaped moon that was Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

And that was a summarization of the the ending of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. ;D The end! Or is it?

Could there be more after this? **R&R** to find out~! There may be [just may be] a chapter 3, or better yet, a full-on story!

Because, just think - what if something happened...to make Xion come back...? -_hmm_-


End file.
